Buddy Punch vs. ClockShark

Buddy Punch vs. ClockShark: Side-By-Side Comparison

Buddy Punch vs. ClockShark: Detailed Comparison

Buddy Punch and ClockShark are both effective employee time tracking apps that work great for managing remote teams, but they have very different applications out in the field. Read on to determine which option is right for your company.

Buddy Punch is the more affordable option

With Buddy Punch, you get an almost identical feature set as ClockShark at nearly half the cost. The table below shows how much you’ll pay per user per month for the features the two platforms share:

Additionally, Buddy Punch’s base fee for all plans is $19/month, while ClockShark’s is $40-$60/month depending on which plan you’re subscribed to. Buddy Punch’s base fee covers the cost of all admin users you add to your plan — there are no per-user costs for admins — while ClockShark charges per-user fees for all admin users.

ClockShark is better for team communication

ClockShark has a feature called “Conversations” that allows team members to exchange comments and make remarks about important details for each job.

This feature allows anyone in the field or in the office to note details about a job, discuss next steps, or troubleshoot issues in real-time. In addition, ClockShark allows team members to share images and files, and it even alerts team members when a task is due or completed.

While Buddy Punch does allow employees to leave notes for admins when they clock in and out, it does not offer any real-time team messaging tools.

Buddy Punch stands out for its ease of use

ClockShark and Buddy Punch both share several accessibility features: both tools have Spanish language support; both allow for multiple sign in options such as username and password, PIN, and single sign-on; and both operate fully via desktop, smartphone, or tablet.

However, Buddy Punch edges out ClockShark in a few ways. First, Buddy Punch allows single sign-on through Google, Apple, Okta, and OneLogin, whereas ClockShark only supports single sign-on through Intuit. 

Buddy Punch also has a few more clock in options: employees can send a text message to punch in and out, or a site foreman can clock everyone on site in and out at the same time.

Buddy Punch also has a slightly higher customer rating for ease of use (4.8 out of 5 stars) on Capterra, versus ClockShark’s 4.7 out of 5 stars.

ClockShark encourages greater transparency from team members

ClockShark has a unique feature called clock out questions. This allows business owners to create a customized questionnaire to be answered when employees clock out for the day. This is useful for tracking project progress or cataloguing any injuries.

Each questionnaire can be assigned to a specific job, department, or office location. Questions can be answered with text, multiple choice, or yes/no responses. Admins can set responses as optional or required.

ClockShark also lets certain answers be marked as unexpected, such as a crew member saying they were hurt while on the job. Unexpected answers can be configured to send a notification directly to an admin.

Buddy Punch has more options for running payroll

Buddy Punch integrates directly with 17 different payroll providers; ClockShark only integrates with three. Not being able to integrate directly with your payroll provider can extend the amount of time it takes to run payroll; instead of being able to click a button and send your time data to payroll automatically, you’ll have to download, forget, and upload reports.

Additionally, Buddy Punch also offers a built-in payroll service if you want to consolidate your time tracking and payroll into a single tool for even more efficiency. ClockShark does not have an add-on payroll service.

Who ClockShark is right for vs. who Buddy Punch is right for

If you have no pressing budget concerns and need greater transparency and communication from your team members while they’re out at remote job sites, ClockShark is a strong choice. Otherwise, your best bet is to go with Buddy Punch.

Buddy Punch is more affordable, has more plans to choose from to get the exact features you need, offers more flexibility on how team members can clock in and out, and doesn’t require employees to have unique work email addresses to be added to the system.